I've Got Some News
by Metatron85
Summary: Judy came back from the doctor with really big news. How will Nick handle the revelation?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A special request from BlackCat0827. Hope you enjoy this one ;-)**

* * *

Judy was grinning from ear to ear. And for a rabbit, that's pretty big.

She had called out of work that day because she wasn't feeling well. For a while, she had been unusually queasy off and on. There would be times when she would be so ill, you had to force her to eat something because the sight of any food at all repulsed her and would send her flying to the toilet. Then there were those other moments when she would develop the most beyond the pale cravings imaginable. The things that Judy's appetite demanded would've made a cook from the Bunny Burrow county fair blush.

Nick would sit next to her, mouth agape, while witnessing his wife devouring a pickle that's been pan fried with a half stick of butter and then smothered with peanut butter. Naturally, these strange occurrences made their way to Bonnie Hopps' ears during casual conversation. She knew (without details) that Judy and Nick were being intimate. They had been together for sixteen months before tying the knot and were going onto their second year of marriage. For a bunny bride, it seemed suspect that no pregnancy had been reported. Even the most conservative rabbit couple would have had at least three by now without even trying.

"Hon, I really think you should see your doctor. You know...the _other_ doctor...and have her do an exam. Just to be sure."

Judy was dreading this. While Nick was indifferent about that possible outcome (being married to his sexual partner makes you more comfortable), Judy was hoping in the back of her mind that she would get pregnant. Despite how far mammals have come, there are just natural instincts that cannot be ignored. When two mate for life, the desire to procreate is a certainty. Judy believed in her heart of hearts that Nick would want to have a kit, despite his playfully apathetic demeanor.

What bothered Judy was that they were an inter-species couple. Biologically speaking, the two of them conceiving was not impossible. But considering how long they've been physical up to this point, it bemused her that nothing has transpired yet.

But she knew it had to happen so she made the nearest appointment and made a mental note to call out that day last minute. Had Judy not done this, Nick would have wanted to go with. But she didn't want him to be there; not until she knew what may be wrong. Nick wanted to stay and help her feel better but she insisted that the chief would rather have one of them out than both. Judy kissed him on the snout and thanked him for all the fuss but she could handle herself. He reluctantly conceded but found her acting really strange.

* * *

It was mid afternoon and a rather slow day for the ZPD, so Chief Bogo agreed to have Wilde leave early to check on Hopps. That was fine with Judy; she had gotten back from Dr. Foster about an hour ago. Actually, Judy was more than fine. She was so elated she thought she was going to burst. Naturally, she contacted her parents first and told them the happy news.

The doctor informed Judy that she was indeed expecting, and then some. The way she's been feeling was completely normal, Dr. Foster reassured her. She wasn't too privy on the combined genetics of a fox and rabbit, but she told Judy that every couple experiences pregnancy differently. Judy was also told that she was a little bit along and ought to be showing very soon. Judy lamented for a moment about putting on the weight. But she figured it would be worth it and judging from her mother; it needn't be difficult to lose it all again.

"Well, I can safely say that I'll always be able to see me feet," Judy said.

That made the doctor chuckle as she handed Judy the fuzzy sonogram. Listening closely, they could hear the heartbeats but until enough time passes, nothing more clearer than this picture is possible.

"It doesn't matter," Judy shook her head. "They'll be beautiful; I can tell."

* * *

Judy sat on the couch, watching some junk on TV. When she got the text that Nick would be back home early, she braced herself for how she was gonna break the news to him. Then she smirked and was a lot more relaxed.

 _"I know what to do,"_ she told herself.

The sound of keys going into the lock made her heart skip a beat and she watched the knob turn. Nick smiled broadly, holding up a white paper bag with a greasy bottom and a plastic bag in the same hand.

"Hey, babe!" he greeted. "How're you feeling?"

Judy discreetly put the sonogram face down on the coffee table.

"I'm feeling great now," she smiled in return.

"Awesome!" he sighed, plopping the bags onto the kitchen table.

"What are those?"

Nick dug out of the bags like Santa Paws with a sack of presents.

"Well, I wasn't sure what mood you were in. So, I got you a hot, gooey panzarotti from that place we like. Aaaaand if you're NOT up for something messy, I also have a garden salad from Babbage's Cabbages. It's a new place but they make the kind you like."

Judy's ears dropped and her eyes widened, grateful for marrying such a clever and loving fox.

"I _am_ quite hungry," she admitted. "But there's something we need to discuss first."

Nick scrunched up his face while getting two glasses from the cabinet.

"Uh-oh."

Judy's ears perked up.

"What uh-oh?"

"Last time we had a discussion," he said, filling the cups with water. "I had to get rid of my favorite chair."

She out her paws on her hips "That thing stunk up the apartment."

"No it didn't," Nick protested as he walked over to her.

"The other tenants filed a grievance with the landlord."

Nick shook his head.

"Carrots, nobody has a better nose than me. And I didn't mind it."

"Will you get over here!"

Nick dropped to his knees and walked on them over to a mildly annoyed Judy. He set the glasses of water for the two of them down on the table.

"Yes, ma'am. You have my full attention."

Judy took a deep breath and prepared herself.

"Nick, I love you more than anything."

He was sensing something was up from the look in her eyes, so he decided to ignore the sarcastic response. Instead, he took her paw in his and held it tightly.

"Is everything okay? Whatever it is..."

"Nothing's wrong, Nick" Judy interrupted.

Nick stood up, still holding onto Judy.

"Then what, then?"

"This isn't easy for me to tell you."

"Just come out and say it," Nick insisted.

Judy shook her head "I don't want to shock you."

He rolled his eyes "Fluff, nothing you can say will sh-"

 **"I'm pregnant!"** the bunny blurted out.

The fox stood there stiff as a board. Judy could feel her hand slipping from his grip as it had loosened.

"Hello? _Nick?_ You in there?"

"What?" Nick shook his head. "I was just...I kind of shut down for a second," he nervously laughed. "How did this happen?"

Judy gave him a look.

"Right stupid question," Nick rubbed the back of his neck. "Is the kit okay?"

"Everything's fine...but..uh..."

Nick smiled brightly at that.

"Boy or girl?"

"I don't know, but..."

Nick huffed, "Well I really don't want to call the baby 'It' but what else can we do?"

"NICK!"

"What?"

"It's not an _It_. It's a _**them**_."

"Th-th-the-them?" Nick stammered.

Judy nodded, "It's a litter. Congratulations, dad."

Nick looked like he was going to collapse.

"How...how ma...ma...mann...many...?"

The bunny grinned and replied "Just seven."

The glasses on the coffee table clinked from the impact of a red fox hitting the floor.

Judy leaned over, looking down at her husband. She hopped off the couch and took a small pop-up vanity mirror out from her pocket and held it under his nose. When the mirror fogged up, she sighed and shook her head.

The buzzing of her phone made her ears perk up. Grey paws gripped the phone and unlocked the screen. It was her mom.

"Hey, Momma!" she cheerily answered.

Judy paced around the living room, listening to her excited mom.

"Yeah...yeah...I told him."

She looked back at the unconscious pred.

"Very well, actually" Judy chuckled. "What?...oh OK...great...I'll see you then."

The bunny picked up the sonogram and smiled warmly at it.

"I love you, too. Bye!"

She hung up and tossed the phone to the couch cushion.

"Nick? Nick, dear?"

The fox groaned and turned over onto his back, his eyes narrow slits.

"You alright?" Judy asked.

"Wow, Carrots, just wow" he rubbed his eyes with his paws. "Sorry, that was just alot to take in."

She nodded, "I can see that. Aren't you happy?"

Nick gripped the couch, using it to rise up to his feet.

"What kind of question is that, Fluff? Of course I'm happy. We've got so much to do. I mean, seven kits..."

"Um...about that..." Judy sheepishly grinned, holding up one finger. "I may have embellished the results a little."

The red fox looked at the grey rabbit like she told him that there was a second head growing from his neck.

"I don't get it."

"I may have said that we were having seven just so you could get over the shock when I told you what we were really having."

Nick gave her a look "How many?"

Judy opened her one paw and held it up. "Four."

His eyes raised as high as the ceiling "Four? Four! Wait, why did you...?"

"Figured you would overreact at first. I knew between us, a litter was extremely likely. So I told you seven and that way four would seem amazing by comparison."

"You played me?"

Judy shrugged, still grinning.

"Sly bunny," he quipped. "What'd ma and pa say?"

"Oh, mom couldn't stop talking about being a first time grandmother. She's actually coming over today. We're doing some shopping. Gonna need some clothes that are a little loose, don't you know."

Nick shifted and laid down, resting his head on the arm of the couch.

"Well, I'll leave you ladies to it, then. Think I'll take a nap."

Judy slid off the couch and walked toward the bathroom.

"You can't nap!"

"Why not?" the fox yawned.

"Because daddy and you are having you special father and son-in-law time. He really wants to talk to you."

Nick's eyes snapped wide and he looked at the front door as if Bonnie and Stu Hopps were going to come through that door at any second.

"You're serious, Carrots?"

"Sorry, honey, can't hear you. Need to get a shower. Love you."

After that rapid-fire response, the bathroom door slammed shut.

"I should have stayed unconscious."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, alright, I cave. Here is the follow-up to "I've Got Some News."**

 **So many people have clamored for more, I would be the biggest jerk if I didn't do it.**

 **This isn't the first time people wanted a sequel after a one shot. Normally, I don't do it but I** ** _did_** **leave this one a little too open, didn't I?**

 **BTW: You might have noticed that the story's picture had been changed. This incredible artwork was drawn by a terrific girl named Spintherella and you can check out her DeviantArt page. She's a terrific artist and the creator of a Zootopia comic titled "Inter schminter." Spintherella is an awesome talent and really nice to give me permission to use her piece for my story. Please, please check out her DeviantArt page and send her love.**

 **So here we go.**

 **Please leave reviews.**

* * *

Bonnie Hopps came by, or so Nick thought. All he saw was a whirlwind of screams and laughing and hugs and the next thing he knew, his wife was gone. But Nick wasn't alone.

Stu ambled into frame...the _door_ frame.

"Hey, Nick" said the older rabbit. "How's it going?"

The red fox remained strewn about on the couch like a mammal that was struck by a car and left limp on the asphalt. He moved his eyes and eventually his head to take in the sight of the bunny greeting him.

"Hi, Stu" he breathed.

Stu smirked and closed the door behind him.

"I've asked you repeatedly to call me _dad_."

"Sorry, Stu..." Nick's attempt to roll over to get up only landed him hard onto the floor.

Been down here very recently.

Nick's paw got a hold of the sturdy coffee table to prop himself up. But the rabbit was already there, offering his help.

"You got here quick," Nick quipped as he let Stu help him to his feet.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he pointed at the fox's chest. "Why do you young people always seem impressed when we older mammals do something useful, or nature-forbid, impressive?"

Nick winced "Sorry Stu-ah, I did it again."

Stu smiled, placing his paw on his shoulder in that way only a father does.

"It's okay, son" he knew how that gave the fox a warm feeling. "That takes some adjusting. I'm used to calling any male younger than me son because I'm surrounded by so many" he chuckled.

Nick snickered as well.

Stu sat on the couch, clearly leaving room for Nick to sit beside him.

"Speaking of which, congrats on the big news huh."

"Yeah," Nick sighed, joining his father-in-law to a sit down.

The rabbit looked carefully at the fox. His usual candor wasn't here right now, which was odd.

"Nick, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you don't seem very happy about the preg..."

"No, no, no, no" Nick assured Stu. "I'm happy for Judy, er _us_. It's just..."

"You're nervous?" Stu suggested.

Nick nodded.

"I know it's irregular, a bunny/fox hybrid. But you needn't worry yourself silly. Judy's doing fine from what the doc can see."

"No, it's not that" the predator shook his head.

Stu tilted his head "Then what, then?"

"What if I fail them, you know what I mean?"

He looked at Nick a little confused.

"I'm guessing Judy told you about my dad."

Stu shrugged "She didn't mention very much about him."

Nick sighed "No, no, that _is_ everything. I mean...just..." his emerald eyes began to water like he was about to unload. "What if I end up just like him? Just a disappointment..."

"Hold on a second, Nicholas" the farmer bunny said firmly. "Now I can't speak for what your old man was thinking; I can only judge by his actions. And I know he left you _and_ your mother. Sad thing is some mammals find out way too late in the game that the family life isn't for them. But you..." he smiled at him. "You're nothing like that, my boy. Not by a long shot."

"What makes you think that?" Nick asked.

"Two things. One, you love our baby very much; that much we've seen. And two, you're not a quitter. Your perseverance is what helped Judy on that case a few years back. It also led you through the police academy, despite all odds. Now, look at you. One of the most decorated cops this darn town's ever had."

"But..." he wiped his eyes. "But...how do you _know_?"

"From someone whose been a father many times; I can just tell. You strike me as just the type. Hard-working, loyal, smart...you'll make a great father to your kits. Do you hear me, son?"

That last term of endearment was enough to push Nick over the edge and he got all choked up and got a hold of the nearest thing he could. And he held that rabbit so tight, Stu had the wind knocked out of him. Despite that, the older mammal returned the gesture. He was impressed how strong this city slicker was compared to some farm hands he knew.

"Awwwww."

That sound followed immediately by a flash and a click. Judy leaned against the door frame, cell in hand. She looked like she was going to burst. Indeed, she was hormonal as all get out but the scene of her husband and her father embracing was too precious to pass up.

"You're back already?" Nick asked.

"No," she started bawling. "I...f-f-f-forgot my k-k-k-keys so I came back and so glad I did..." then as if somebody had flipped a switch, Judy went from weepy to peppy. "I'll see you guys later, BYE!."

The red fox leaned over to the bunny and asked "Pop, do those mood swings...um...go away after the babies are born?"

Stu looked at him with a sympathetic eye, like he was the most naive thing on the face of the planet.

"Uh, yeah, sure they do."

* * *

Almost a month and a half later...

Zootopia General Hospital.

A dozen mammals scrambled, doctors and nurses, wheeling in Judy Hopps to the Operating Room. The bunny was very concerned when they went well past 31 days, which was typical gestation for a rabbit. However, foxes tend to be in labor for quite longer. They kept an eye on things and here, forty days into the pregnancy, the kits are assumed to be full term.

But their sheer size made them a bit larger than your standard rabbit kits. This meant a natural childbirth would be too risky for what little medical professionals know about fox/rabbit offspring. So, Judy had to do the hardest thing she had to do and be taken away from her scared husband while surgeons prepared to administer a C-section. Judy's doctor assured Nick that the procedure is at its most risky when its a last minute thing. But they planed this for concern of this very scenario.

"Are you sure I can't be there with her?" Nick pleaded with the head surgeon.

"I'm sorry," the panda sighed. "But its an operation; we need to keep it sterile."

"There must be some way," the fox's eyes were desperate.

"Okay, Mr. Wilde. If you get into some proper scrubs, wish mask, and wash up; you can come in."

The puke green-colored paper-thin clothes felt strange on Nick but he soldiered through it. All he could think about was Judy and his kits.

The panda met up with Nick, dressed all in green, who ushered him into the OR.

"Now listen, you sit here beside her and stay there. You will be out of the way here."

The doctors put up a sheet to separate the soon-to-be parents from the gory business happening on the other side. It was for the sake of the surgeons as well as for the sake of Nick and Judy, who really didn't need to see what they were doing.

"Hey, Carrots" he smiled, rubbing her head with his paw. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"No pain," Judy managed to slur out, unable to shake her head no. "I can feel...things...but no pain. They gave me a...a something..." she chuckled.

Nick just smiled at her, admiring her tenacity in the face of this evasive procedure. He couldn't think of many surgeries where the patient is not only awake and (somewhat) aware but also cracking wise.

"They're coming," one of the doctors could be heard saying out loud.

Within moments, the very first cries of one of their kits was audible. It made Nick's heart sink. Suddenly it seemed so real and it hit him hard. Then, sure enough, the second and third came along. Finally, after a little difficulty, emerged the fourth and final baby.

"Okay, we're looking good here" remarked the panda. "Keep cleaning those kits and lets close her up."

"Go to them," Judy told Nick.

He looked at her intensely "Are you sure?"

"Go say hi to your kits," she smiled, looking so tired.

The fox walked briskly past the operating table, holding a paw up to his eyes to shield him from the carnage to his left. That wasn't a side of Judy he needed to see, the inside. And all the blood? No thank you.

Nick made it to four identical transparent cradles, each with a squeaking youngster. There was two boys and two girls. The males had Judy's amethyst eyes, the females his emerald ones. One boy was red like him and the other was grey like Judy. The same thing went for the two girls. All four of them had fox-like ears but much more elongated. Their faces were closer to a rabbit's, with big eyes and a shorter muzzle. But their long limbs were very fox-like. They didn't have the signature big buck teeth of the bunny persuasion but they did seem very blessed in the foot department.

He squatted down, arms stretching out far enough to encompass the four cradles.

"Hey, kids" he chuckled nervously. "I'm your dad."

Three of them continued to cry while one stopped and looked up at him, curious.

"Sorry I'm not better looking but luckily you take a lot after your mother."

* * *

Judy woke up in her hospital room, yawning. She felt sick both from the epidural and the fact that her stomach was empty. With all the hoopla of labor day, she neglected to get something to eat. As she became more awake, she got incrementally more anxious. Judy looked around, feeling panic rising.

"Nick? Nick? NICK!"

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm here, Judy" the familiar paws touched her shoulders. "I just got out of the bathroom. You've been out for a while."

She grabbed his shirt "Did everything go okay?" she asked. "Are the kits okay? Where are they?"

"Carrots, Carrots, slow down."

Nick walked over to an ice bucket nearby and retrieved a washcloth that had been sitting in it for a while. At this point, much of the ice had melted but it was still quite cold. He gently applied it to Judy's forehead. She reluctantly accepted it.

"They're down in the nursery, sleeping."

The bunny's face fell, disappointed.

"Oh."

"Hey, its alright. They've been in there for a while so they should be up for a feeding anytime now."

That made lavender eyes widen and a grin form on Judy's face.

"Good. How do they look?"

Nick sat beside her.

"They look like..." he smirked. "That they're going to have some _**big** _ baby shoes."

Judy gave him a look and smacked him on the arm.

"If they're half _you_ , they must be cute."

"No argument with you on _that_ one."

Judy started to look sad.

"I was afraid when they took me from you. I didn't think I was coming back, Nicky."

He had that same fear but didn't want to think about that now. Everything was okay. The fox held onto his mate, careful not to be too forceful because she was healing after all. Judy tugged at his shirt, kissing him like never before.

"We're parents now, huh?" Nick quipped.

"Mm-hmm," Judy smirked, keeping her paws on her mate.

A knock on the door made them break their little intimate scene.

"Hello, Judy?"

An ocelot nurse came in, smiling brightly.

"Hey," replied the bunny.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing and to see if you were up for any visitors?"

"Visitors?" asked Nick.

The nurse looked back down the hallway and then returned her gaze at the couple.

"There's a rather large cheetah down in the lobby. He's got bags and balloons and he's being very, very loud."

The fox and rabbit exchanged glances and laughed.

"Send him up" they said in unison.


End file.
